(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an aircraft that is capable of converting between vertical flight or helicopter mode flight, and horizontal flight or airplane mode flight where a two-bladed rotor is employed as both helicopter rotor blades in vertical flight and as a fixed wing in horizontal flight.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Various different types of prior art aircraft have been developed that are capable of taking off vertically in helicopter mode flight with the fuselage oriented vertically and then convert to horizontal flight in airplane mode with the fuselage oriented horizontally. However, a common disadvantage encountered in these prior art aircraft is the instability in flight experienced in the transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight.
The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages associated with prior art vertical take off and horizontal flight aircraft by providing a simplified, lightweight aircraft capable of vertical take off with near the efficiency of a helicopter and horizontal flight with near the efficiency of an airplane, while utilizing a minimum number of component parts and reducing the number of moving parts. The aircraft of the present invention provides a simpler, lighter, more efficient and less expensive approach to aircraft capable of both vertical take off and landings and horizontal flight.
The aircraft of the invention also provides an aircraft capable of converting between vertical and horizontal flight and then back again to vertical flight while maintaining control during the conversion between vertical and horizontal flight by reducing the instability of the aircraft typically associated with such a flight conversion.